pesto, prosciutto, roasted brussels sprouts, and sun-dried tomato pizza

Every time I walk through Trader Joe's, I pass by the pre-made pizza dough section. The pizza I like dream about has a crust that is crisp on the bottom but also chewy with just the right amount of bite. And let's face it, Paleo pizza crust-- most commonly made with almond flour, coconut flour, or cauliflower-- never quite measures up to that platform of gluten goodness.

Let it be known, for a well-made, well-balanced pizza, I will break all the Paleo rules. All I needed was a pizza that was worth the cheat-- a reliable recipe that I could over and over again trust to appease my pizza craving. And, for me, that all begins with the pizza dough. Alas, I've finally found the greatest pizza dough recipe that must be shared. In the past, I've made good pizza. But it wasn't until the other day that I realized I could make an incredible homemade pie.

Basic Pizza Dough
Recipe by Annie's Eats
Yield 2 medium pizzas or 4 calzones

INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup warm water
2 1/4 tsp instant yeast
4 cups (22 oz.) bread flour, plus more for dusting
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 1/4 cup water, at room temp.
2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

DIRECTIONS
Measure the warm water into a 2-cup liquid measuring cup. Sprinkle the yeast over the top. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the bread flour and salt, mixing briefly to blend. Measure the room temperature water into the measuring cup with the yeast-water mixture. With the mixer on low speed, pour in the yeast-water mixture as well as the olive oil. Mix until a cohesive dough is formed. Switch to the dough hook. Knead on low speed until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a lightly oiled bowl, turning once to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled in size, 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

Press down the dough to deflate it. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface. Divide the dough into two equal pieces. Form each piece of dough into a smooth, round ball. (If freezing the dough, wrap in plastic wrap and freeze at this point.) Cover with a damp cloth. Let the dough relax for at least 10 minutes but no longer than 30 minutes.

To bake, preheat the oven and pizza stone to 500 degrees F for at least 30 minutes. Transfer the dough to your shaping surface, lightly sprinkled with cornmeal. Shape the dough with lightly floured hands. Brush the outer edge lightly with olive oil. Top as desired. Bake until the crust is golden brown, and cheese is bubbling, 8-12 minutes.

It's been about 24 weeks since I started Paleo. I'm not consistently on a strict Paleo diet these days, but now I do try to make better food decisions. Everyone who begins Paleo has a reason and a specific goal in mind. My intention was not necessarily to lose weight (though, that seemed to happen naturally), but to challenge myself and to become more conscious of what I put into my body.

One of the biggest changes was realizing that I didn't need to top everything off with cheese. I literally used to have 5 different types of cheese stocked in my refrigerator at all times. There always seemed to be a cheese that made every meal just a tad bit better. But because I no longer have any cheese readily available in my fridge, I made a delightful pizza sans cheese. Give this topping combination a try.

Pesto, Prosciutto, Roasted Brussels Sprouts, and Sun-Dried Tomato Pizza
Yields 1 medium pizza

INGREDIENTS
1/2 of the Basic Pizza Dough Recipe
1/4 cup pesto (I just used my favorite store bought pesto to make things easier)
1 1/2 cups of roasted brussels sprouts (See how I roast my brussels sprouts here. Do not glaze.)
1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes
2 to 4oz. prosciutto

*NOTES: These measurements are about what I used for my pizza. Use more or less depending on the diameter of your pizza crust.

DIRECTIONS
1. Prepare pizza dough. Follow the directions of Basic Pizza Dough Recipe.
2. Prepare roasted brussels sprouts. This can be done ahead of time or while the dough is rising.
3. Form pizza crust. Use only half of the Basic Pizza Dough Recipe and continue to shape and prepare as instructed.
4. Assemble. Spread pesto onto uncooked pizza crust in an even layer. Slide pizza onto preheated pizza stone and bake for 8 minutes at 500 degrees F. Remove pizza stone from oven, Scatter prosciutto, brussels sprouts, and sun dried tomatoes on top of the crust. Then, place back into the over for about 4 more minutes.
5. When the outer crust is golden, pizza is ready. Remove from oven, slide pizza onto cutting board. Slice and serve.

orange balsamic glazed brussels sprouts with bacon

I personally don't know why people dislike/hate/are revolted by brussels sprouts. I assume it's due to a bad experience. I never ate brussels sprout anything growing up, so for a long time I never knew how they tasted or what to do with them. Then, I had a life-changing brussels sprout moment at Motorino in New York a few years ago. Brussels sprout and pancetta pizza.. holy goodness. That pizza is so scrumptious that it hurts to be 3,000 miles away. I literally want to cuddle with that pizza. Okay, I'll keep it G-rated and stop now. It's not even possible to recreate the depth of flavor developed by brussels sprouts roasted in a brick oven. So if you are ever in the East Village, stop by Motorino and know that I am jealous. I don't really miss pizza much, but that pizza.. it doesn't make me feel even a smidge guilty for binging on gluten and cheese.

Okay moving on, back to brussels sprouts. I don't mind them just oven-roasted with EVOO, salt and pepper. But today, I was feeling adventurous and decided to add a twist.

Orange Balsamic Glazed Brussels Sprouts with Bacon

INGREDIENTS
1 lb. brussels sprouts
1 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 Tbsp + 2 tsp balsamic vinegar
2 tsp honey
1 1/2 tsp fresh-squeezed orange juice
2 slices of cooked thick-cut bacon, crispy
orange zest for sprinkling (optional)

DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Prepare brussels sprouts. For each brussels sprout, cut off and throw away the brown end. Then, cut each brussels sprout lengthwise into thirds. Don't worry about this being perfect. Place onto a rimmed baking sheet. 
3. Add the EVOO, salt and pepper to the brussels sprouts. Gently toss until the brussels sprouts are evenly dressed.
4. Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes. Then, stir the mixture around. Bake for an additional 10 minutes until they are tender and the leaves have browned.
5. Prepare the orange balsamic glaze. This can be done while your brussels sprouts are baking. In a frying pan on medium heat, add the balsamic vinegar, honey, and orange juice. Allow the mixture to cook for about 5 minutes until it looks like it is reduced to about half the amount. It does not look like much but it will be just enough for the shrunken brussels sprouts.
6. Add brussels sprouts to the glaze in the frying pan. Carefully stir together until brussels spouts are lightly coated. 
7. Turn off heat and pour into a separate bowl. Roughly chop or crumble the crispy bacon and use it to top the brussels sprouts. Add a sprinkle of orange zest if desired.
8. Serve, eat, enjoy!

I paired my brussels sprouts with a salmon fillet. I only added lemon pepper to the skin and cooked it in the same frying pan with some EVOO. I've been pan-frying my salmon lately instead of baking it in the oven, mostly because I've been dealing with skinned salmon. I find that by cooking it in the pan, I can get the skin really nice and crispy and it somehow also turns out perfectly moist every time. If I did have a skinless fillet, I would then prefer baking it in a foil packet with herbs, fresh lemon, onion slices, and cherry tomatoes. But that sounds like another recipe for another day..